pessimistic
[pes-uh-mis-tik]
- pertaining to or characterized by pessimism or the tendency to expect only bad outcomes; gloomy; joyless; unhopeful: His pessimistic outlook kept him from applying for jobs for which he was perfectly qualified.
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Origin of pessimistic
Synonyms
See more synonyms for pessimistic on Thesaurus.comdespairing, hopeless.
Synonym study
See cynical.
Dictionary.com Unabridged
Based on the Random House Unabridged Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2018
Examples from the Web for pessimistic
Contemporary Examples
“I fall very much on the pessimistic spectrum, in the sense that I get very confused about it,” she says.
Confessions of a Rom-Com Writer: Liz Tuccillo Talks ‘Sex and the City,’ ‘Take Care,’ and MoreKevin Fallon
December 5, 2014
It satirizes and parodies the romanticised, pessimistic accounts of rural life by writers like Thomas Hardy and Mary Webb.
But at the time I was so pessimistic that the notion of staying and fighting just seemed like an empty gesture.
Hoffman plays Jon Savage, the sarcastic and pessimistic brother (and confidant) to his sister, Wendy.
Philip Seymour Hoffman’s Best Performances: ‘Boogie Nights,’ ‘Capote,’ and MoreMarlow Stern
February 2, 2014
She sounded “pessimistic” he said and did not believe that she would come out of jail before the February Games.
Historical Examples
There was none to speak of left now except in Africa; and they were pessimistic about Africa.
The SpendersHarry Leon Wilson
He had the most pessimistic forebodings of what the future might have in store for him.
In the Midst of AlarmsRobert Barr
"I knew he was a quitter;" the woman's companion was pessimistic.
ThoroughbredsW. A. Fraser
My thoughts at that period of suffering were pessimistic in the extreme.
Green MansionsW. H. Hudson
"We hate each other," retorted the pessimistic Number Twelve.
The Monster MenEdgar Rice Burroughs
Word Origin and History for pessimistic
Online Etymology Dictionary, © 2010 Douglas Harper